I made the mistake of watching the movie before reading this book. I really hate to do that! But in this particular case, it did not detract from this truly captivating tale. I was not sure I would like the book because I thought, the movie was primarily on the life boat - how boring the book will be. However, the back story is much more developed in the book and reading really allows you to feel the many emotions that the Pi suffered though. I thought the book was excellent and I would definitely reread it.